Churchkhela is a natural oriental sweet made from grape juice and nuts. Churchkhela is a traditional dish in Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan, but you can try it not only in the Caucasus: churchkhela is sold everywhere in the resorts of the Krasnodar Territory, as well as in many other cities of Russia. From this article you can find out what churchkhela is and how to cook it.

What is churchkhela?

Churchkhela is a long thin sausage made of thick, frozen juice. Inside Churchkhela nuts strung on a thin thread. Walnuts are usually used, although other options are possible. Churchkhela is traditionally made from grape juice - in this case, it turns dark brown. Nevertheless, now for a more attractive appearance, churchkhela was also made from juices of other fruits.

Churchkhela is an excellent dessert for those who follow the figure, because it is completely natural: juice and nuts are a completely dietary treat. In addition, nuts provide a lot of energy, so churchkhela is perfect for a quick snack during the day.

What happens churchkhela?

Nowadays churchkhela is made not only from grape juice. There are other varieties of it. Colors with the juice of other fruits are more vibrant and attractive, and the taste is also different. The following varieties of churchkhela are now popular:

• Garnet churchkhela has a bright red color.
• Churchkhela with apple juice has a light amber color, sometimes with a green tint.
• Apricot churchkhela has a rich orange color.
• Classic grape churchkhela light chocolate color.

Now often there are more and more non-standard versions of churchkhela. It uses a variety of nuts: cashews, almonds, peanuts or Brazil nuts, and also add candied fruits and dried fruits. Sometimes you can even meet churchkhela of bright unnatural colors with the addition of dyes, but such a sweetness is traditionally Caucasian is not and is not as useful as a natural product.

How to cook churchkhela?

Cooking churchkhela is a rather long and laborious process. Nevertheless, it can be prepared even at home, the main thing is to be patient. Consider the step-by-step instructions for making a national Caucasian dish - classic churchkhela with grape juice and walnuts.

So, in order to cook this delicacy, you need to have the following products on hand:

• grape juice (2 l)
• walnuts (200 g)
• sifted wheat flour (200 g)
• sugar (100 g)

In total of these four ingredients you will make churchkhela. Use a simple step-by-step instruction:

• First you need to lightly fry the nuts over low heat, so that it is easier to separate them from the skin. Make sure that you manage to peel all the nuts well, because the peel will be stuck in the teeth and make the sweet heterogeneous.
• Large pieces of nuts are suitable - it is better to take whole or halves. Using a needle, they should be carefully strung onto a thread. Tie a match to the lower end of the thread. Make about 20-30 cm of nuts on the thread, and then tie the thread on top in a loop.
• Grape juice should be simmered in a metal bowl. In total, you need to cook for about two hours, periodically removing the foam.
• Then gradually pour sugar into the juice, stirring it so that the sugar is evenly distributed.
• Let the juice cool to room temperature.
• Gradually pour flour into it, stirring the substance so that no lumps form. The texture of your mixture, which Caucasians call Tatar) should turn out to be homogeneous.
• Put the container over simmer again. Wait until the volume is reduced by half and the mixture is thick enough.
• In a hot thick mass you need to dip a bunch of nuts, wait 5-7 minutes until it dries, and dip another two or three times at the same interval.
• Do the same with each bunch of nuts.
• Churchkhel must then be dried in the sun. She should stop sticking to her hands.
• Wrap churchkhela in a towel and leave in a dry, ventilated place to ripen for a couple of months. After ripening churchkhela will be covered with a film of powdered sugar - this is a normal process. In this case, it should remain as soft.

Natural churchkhela is a tasty and healthy sweet that you can not only buy ready-made, but also easily make it yourself at home. Churchkhela can be a delicious and healthy dessert for those who follow the figure. It is also perfect as a complement to a hearty breakfast or a snack on the road, because nuts give a boost of vitality, and juice nourishes the body with vitamins.

Each country has its own national dishes. Churchkhela - what is it? Many people ask this question. Only in Georgia can you try this outlandish sweetness. Everyone who was in this unusual country could see strange-colored sausages in the bazaar. They are translucent, sparkling and eye-catching.

What is the use of this treat? Is it possible to cook it yourself?

What is unique?

What is churchkhela, Wikipedia claims - it is a national Georgian delicacy made from nuts and grape juice. The dish is also popular among the peoples of the Caucasus. The composition of churchkhela is simple - flour, grape juice and nuts. What is the use of eating such a delicacy?

• satisfies hunger well;
• nutritious;
• easy to digest;
• stored for a long time;
• composed of many useful substances;
• high calorie content;

All this already in ancient times made churchkhela in demand. Such sausages were popular with warriors. They were light, well satisfied hunger and could be stored for a long time. Now it can be found in any Georgian bazaar. It arrives in stores in other countries.

What happens churchkhela? Is only Georgian this dish?

This delicacy can be found in different versions in any eastern country: Armenia, Greece, etc. The modern spread of dessert has led to the appearance of various modifications of the original composition. Churchkhela is not only a sweetness based on grape juice. Today, juice can be pomegranate, and apple, and any other. The color of the final product depends on the raw materials used:

• Bright red color is obtained by adding pomegranate juice.
• Amber color - when using apple juice.
• Orange color - when adding apricot juice.
• Light chocolate color is obtained by adding grape juice.

Today, churchkhela is increasingly being cooked with various unusual additives. As nuts add almonds, cashews, peanuts, you can find supplements of dried fruits and candied fruits. In addition to the fact that there is a natural churchkhela benefit and the harm of which is obvious, there is a modification with the addition of artificial dyes. The latter negatively affects the quality of the product.

Recipes

Many are sure that cooking churchkhela is difficult and dreary. In fact, such a healthy dessert is easy to make on your own, you just need to follow the technology. What can you make oriental sweetness from? From a minimum of ingredients: sugar, grape juice, walnuts and flour. How long does it take to cook? About an hour to cook and a few days to dry the finished product.

First you need to prepare the nuts. Peel them and then fry them over low heat in a dry skillet. This is necessary to cleanse the skins. If you skip this step, the skins will not spoil the taste of the dish, but will complicate the process of eating. You can chop the nuts finely or simply halve them. Pieces need to be strung on a thread. Enough length of 30 cm, after the thread with nuts tied in a loop. A match is tied to the end.

In a metal bowl, you need to boil grape juice. You need to do it for two hours over low heat. Due to this process, the juice will begin to thicken. It is important to constantly remove foam from the surface. Sugar is poured in portions, carefully mixing the mixture and controlling its dissolution.

The resulting mixture was cooled to room temperature. After adding flour in portions, interfering and preventing the formation of lumps. This mixture is called tatar. She put again on a slow fire and heated. It should be halved in volume and thicken. A thread with nuts is lowered into the Tatars. Gets, dries out a little and falls again. So you need to do two to three times. Then the bunch needs to be hung in the sun or in any other dry room. Willingness was easily determined: as soon as churchkhela stopped sticking to her hands, she could be eaten.

From the Tatars you can prepare an easy version of churchkhela - pour finely chopped nuts into the jelly and so on. The taste of the final product directly depends on the grape variety used. The best churchkhela will come out of high-quality raw materials, making it easy. Instead of grape juice, you can use any other. Chalk or marble flour in a small amount will help reduce the acidity level of the dessert.

As a variety, you can use a lot of fillers: nuts of all kinds, dried fruits or candied fruits. The cooking technology is the same as with the classic recipe: juice is boiled with sugar and flour, cools. The filler is strung on a thread and immersed in the mixture. The bundle should eventually be covered with a thick layer of juice (at least 2 cm!).

Churchkhela is a good sweet for those who cannot use natural sugar. Because of the combination of juice and nuts, this product cannot be called dietary. Therefore, you need to eat it in moderation, without abusing it, otherwise the extra pounds will not keep you waiting.

Churchkhela is called an old Georgian dish, which is prepared from nuts strung on a string and filled with thick natural juice. The benefits and harms of such products mainly depend on the set of ingredients used. In any case, with the correct implementation of technical recommendations for the implementation of the process, the delicacy is enriched with substances necessary for the body.

Another advantage of the dessert is its nutritional value, the product perfectly satisfies hunger, but does not overload the digestive tract. Properly prepared churchkhela can be stored for a fairly long time, without worrying about the destruction of useful ingredients and the disappearance of therapeutic properties.

The classic way of cooking churchkhela

In the traditional version of churchkhela, only walnuts and are used. The process itself is quite simple, although it takes a lot of time. It is worth noting that only churchkhela made from natural ingredients and dried under natural conditions acquires characteristic beneficial properties. In-store products may be tasty, but the likelihood of obtaining therapeutic results from their use is minimal.

The process of making goodies looks like this:

• From juice is extracted, it is used undiluted. In order for the liquid to reach the desired thick consistency, it is introduced into it.
• The usual strong thread is taken. Walnuts are strung on it with a needle. Do not make the “necklace” too long; it may not support its own weight.

Tip: In the process of preparing products, only raw, but well-dried, should be used. If the ingredients are fried, they will fall apart in your hands; they cannot be threaded. Still real churchkhela is not prepared from crushed components, its taste is obtained not at all as it should.

• Next, the workpiece is dipped several times in thickened juice. It should cover the product with a dense, uniform layer. If the liquid is not very thick, then after a couple of hours churchkhela can be covered with juice several more times. Such products are more sweet.
• Semi-finished products are sent for drying in a dark and dry room. It should be 5 to 10 days.

The use of non-natural thickeners can significantly facilitate the process of harvesting churchkhela, but this is not recommended. Such experiments not only reduce the usefulness of the product, they can harm the body.

Modern options for cooking churchkhela

Today, the number of recipes for preparing churchkhela, or, as it is called in some countries, “juchela”, has grown markedly. The following products are now often used as main and auxiliary ingredients:

• In addition to grape juice, apple, orange, plum, cherry, apricot and other drinks began to be actively used. The special taste and properties of the product acquire, if they are prepared with.
• The basis can also be almost any, the main thing is that the components can be strung on a thread. It could be peanuts,.
• Today, increasingly, dried fruits, for example, dried berries, are added to the composition of products. Syrup-drenched blanks are rolled in whole or chopped seeds.

Depending on the set of ingredients used, the properties of the product and its calorie content will change. This should be taken into account, especially if churchkhela is intended for children, elderly or overweight people.

The composition and useful properties of churchkhela

Churchkhela, prepared exclusively from natural ingredients, becomes for the body a source of many useful substances. Regardless of what ingredients are used in its production, the finished product will contain the following chemical compounds and elements:

• Glucose and fructose.  They are excellent energy suppliers.
• Organic acids.  Participants in metabolic processes, stimulants of chemical reactions.
• Vegetable fats.  They prevent the formation of blood clots, reduce the level of harmful cholesterol in the blood, and stimulate the activity of the brain.
• The main groups of vitamins.  Prevent the development of deficient conditions, increase the functionality of organs and systems.
• Mineral elements.  Maintain acid-base and water balances. Provide fabrics with building material. Needed for chemical reactions.

Thus, regular use of churchkhela even in small volumes allows you to achieve such results:

1. Increased activity due to energy production. The activity of the brain improves, the work of all organs and systems is stimulated.
2. The work of the heart and blood vessels is getting better. The risk of developing atherosclerosis and hypertension is reduced.
3. The body is rejuvenated. This has a positive effect not only on external data, but also on the general condition.

Of course, to get all the above results, you need to include only natural churchkhela in the diet. It should not contain thickeners, preservatives, sweeteners or other chemical additives.

Churchkhela harm and contraindications

Including churchkhela in the diet, it is important to understand that its calorie content can reach 500-700 units per 100 g of product. Component dishes are often the cause of allergic reactions. Here are a few more things to keep in mind:

1. The use of churchkhela against the background of obesity and lack of physical activity can cause weight gain.
2. Even completely natural products are prohibited in diabetes.
3. Tuberculosis and kidney disease are also contraindications.
4. During pregnancy and breastfeeding, it is better to refuse treats so as not to provoke an allergy.

Churchkhela can be an excellent natural medicine and a stimulus for uplifting. It is only necessary to eat it in small quantities and it is better at least in 1-2 days. More frequent use of the product will not bring much benefit to the body, but it can provoke unpleasant consequences.

   ჩურჩა - dried seedless berries) - an ancient Georgian national delicacy. Distributed under other names in Azerbaijan, Armenia ("chinchlach"), Turkey and Cyprus. In Turkey, it is known as a tour. Pestil Cevizli Sucuk: literally sujuk with walnuts. Prepared from stringed nuts in a thickened flour grape juice.

It has high nutritional properties due to the high content of glucose and fructose (from 30 to 52%), vegetable fats, proteins, organic acids (1.1-2%), nitrogenous and phenolic substances, vitamins.

In September 2011, the Georgian authorities filed a patent for churchkhela and several other dishes of national cuisine

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Notes

Churchkhela passage

Saying this, he did not keep his smiling eyes from his face, from his neck, from Natasha's bare hands. Natasha certainly knew that he admired her. She was pleased, but for some reason she became cramped and hard from his presence. When she did not look at him, she felt that he was looking at her shoulders, and she involuntarily intercepted his gaze so that he looked better at her eyes. But, looking into his eyes, she felt with fear that between him and her there was no that barrier of shyness that she always felt between herself and other men. She herself, not knowing how, in five minutes felt terribly close to this man. When she turned away, she was afraid that he would not take her bare hand from behind, kiss her on the neck. They talked about the simplest things and she felt that they were close, like she had never been with a man. Natasha looked back at Helen and at her father, as if asking them what it meant; but Helene was busy talking with some general and did not answer her gaze, and her father’s gaze didn’t tell her anything, except that he always said: "fun, well, I'm glad."
  In one of the moments of awkward silence, during which Anatole looked calmly and stubbornly at her with her bulging eyes, Natasha asked him to break this silence as he liked Moscow. Natasha asked and blushed. It constantly seemed to her that she was doing something indecent, talking with him. Anatole smiled, as if encouraging her.
  “At first I didn't like much, because what makes the city pleasant is ce sont les jolies femmes, [pretty women,] isn’t it?” Well, now I really like it, ”he said, looking significantly at her. “Will you go to the carousel, Countess?” Go, ”he said, and, reaching out to her bouquet and lowering his voice, said:“ Vous serez la plus jolie. ” Venez, chere comtesse, et comme gage donnez moi cette fleur. [You will be the prettiest. Go, dear Countess, and give me this flower as a guarantee.]
  Natasha did not understand what he said, just like himself, but she felt that in obscure words he had indecent intent. She did not know what to say and turned away, as if she had not heard what he had said. But just as she turned away, she thought that he was so close behind her here.
"What is he now? Is he embarrassed? Angry? Should I fix this? ”She asked herself. She could not resist not to look back. She looked him straight in the eye, and his intimacy and confidence, and the good-natured tenderness of a smile defeated her. She smiled just like him, looking directly into his eyes. And again she was horrified to feel that there was no barrier between him and her.
  The curtain rose again. Anatole came out of the box, calm and cheerful. Natasha returned to her father's box, completely subordinate to the world in which she was. Everything that happened before her seemed to her quite natural; but for that reason all her previous thoughts about the bridegroom, about Princess Mary, about village life never came to her mind, as if all that had been a long time ago.

Surely many people saw on the markets in shops with nuts, dried fruits and oriental sweets churchkhela - very tasty and peculiar. Churchkhela is a national Georgian sweet, it is very useful because it is prepared from natural ingredients without the addition of sugar. Churchkhela is based on nuts, which are covered in several layers of juice. Churchkhela is most often made from grape or pomegranate juice, but other juices can also be used, such as apple, raspberry or apricot. In any case, it will be delicious!

Churchkhela Composition

• Grape or pomegranate juice - 1 liter. The most delicious churchkhela is made from freshly squeezed juice with pulp, but you can also buy it.
• Wheat flour - half a cup.
• Peeled nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts) - 500 g.
• You will also need a sturdy needle and thick cotton thread for stringing nuts.

How to cook churchkhela

Take a thread about 30 cm long with a needle and string nuts on a thread. It is advisable to stock up on a thimble, because the nuts are quite solid, and stringing them with bare hands is difficult. You can string both whole nuts and halves (then churchkhela will be thinner or you need to dip it more in juice). It is necessary to string so that the upper end of the thread about 5 cm is free - for it we will keep churchkhela. When we finish stringing nuts on a thread, we fix its end with a match: we wrap a match with a thread and tie it.

About a half glasses of juice are slowly mixed with flour, mixing well so that there are no lumps. Pour the rest of the juice into a saucepan and put on a small fire. Stir the juice periodically, and when it boils, add a mixture of flour and juice. Keep stirring. Juice must be boiled to the consistency of a very thick jelly. Let the juice cool down to about 50 degrees Celsius. After that, take a thread with nuts and dip it into the pan for a minute and a half, so that all nuts are covered with juice. We take out the thread, dry for five minutes - during this time we dip the remaining threads with nuts into the juice. Then we repeat the procedure with each thread several times until the nuts are covered with a layer of juice 1.5-2 cm. Done - churchkhela can be dried. In fact, it is dried for several weeks so that the top layer of juice hardens and remains soft inside the churchkhela. But you can eat this yummy on the same day, if you really want to.

Churchkhela can be dried on a rope specially hung in the kitchen. Under the rope, you should put paper so that later you do not have to wash the entire kitchen from drops of juice.